Happily Ever After
by ihrtbks
Summary: Fang and Max's twins and Nudge and Iggy's twins want to know how their parents save the world and who helped them. Then they ask about their parents' high school courtships. How much can the parents tell before being embarrassed about it? FAX, NUDGY.
1. One For You, One For Me

DISCLAIMER: Alex, Hunter and Brett are mine. Everybody else is James Patterson's.

**MAX POV**

They were so cute.

She looked so much like her father it was scary: same knowing yet unreadable eyes, same dark hair, same tanned skin. But her wings were different. She had instinctively unfurled them when she started crying. Her wings were mottled red, brown, black, white, and tan. Those were all that looked even halfway like me.

Her brother looked like me, but had the same mottled wings. He had my blond, wavy hair. Fang said he read like me too. His eyes showed the same emotions; his body reacted in the same way. He had opened his wings when his sister did, and both started crying. Fang grabbed Brett while I soothed Alexandria.

Fang and I got married about a year along with Nudge and Iggy. Of course, Nudge and I got pregnant about the same time, but she had her son Hunter two weeks before I had Alex and Brett.

The Voice had finally disappeared. Fang was glad I would have no more brain attacks and wouldn't force the Flock to listen to a presence in my head.

**NUDGE POV**

Max finally had her twins! Alex and Brett look so much like their parents it's almost as if Fang and Max were kids again. But their wings were different: They were lots of colors as if all birds of prey had contributed their plumage to their wings. The wings are so pretty!

My Hunter looked neither like me nor like Iggy, but somewhere in between. His hair was dark like mine but had reddish-blondish natural highlights **(A/N: Yes, you can have natural highlights. My sisters and I have them. Mine are brownish-reddish in my black hair.) **His face looked like mine but his body was Iggy's tall and lean.

His eyes surprised us the most. They were green. Set in his tanned face (his skin tone matched Ig's more than mine), they made a stunning contrast. He should have had brown eyes, but had managed to get green. Genetics for you.

**FANG POV**

All the Flock and even Ms. Martinez and Ella say Alex looked like a carbon copy of me and Brett one of Max, except for the wings. How did they get their wings? It looked like somehow the colors of Max's wing and my wings had been swirled together into wings worthy of a hawk or eagle. Too bad they had to keep their wings hidden most of the time.

Hunter, Nudge and Iggy's son, looked like his parents had been Photoshopped onto each other. He melded them perfectly. His wings were a hawk-red with swatches of black. They somehow matched perfectly with his green eyes.

After Max managed to "save the world"(the Voice left her alone), the entire flock came and lived with Dr. Martinez and Ella. They were kind enough to give all us "strays" a home. Dr. Martinez made us go to school and finish what we would have if we hadn't been running away from Erasers and mad scientists all our lives. Max. Iggy, and I finished high school. Nudge was in middle school; both Angel and Gazzy ended up in elementary school. Thank God most of the kids left us alone, but I think that had osmething to do with the fact that both Max and Nudge had engagement rings on their fingers. It would have been very annoying if we had to constantly shoo away people who tried to go on dates with us.

When Max and I got married along side Iggy and Nudge, Dr. Martinez manged everything for us. We four had gotten decent jobs, so we payed. It would be too much if we made Dr. Martinez do that too. We still give half our income to the doctor and Ella to help pay for the food we consume. Each of us eats more than two grown men. Dr. Martinez put Iggy in charge of the kitchen "officially" because she saw that he was the best cook even though he was blind, but we all made the cookies together. Max was right; these cookies were heaven on earth.**

* * *

**

_Four years later(Pretend four-year-olds can talk like this and excuse bad grammar.)_

**ALEX POV**

Today Mom, Dad, Iggy, and Nudge are taking me and Brett and Hawk for a flying lesson. We've been going since we were two, but back then we all had to be held up by our parents. Today Dad said he'd teach some moves he and Nudge learned from hawks when they stayed with them in a cave. Mom had gone down to help Ella and stayed with her a couple of days. Mom said Dad had tried to teach her a long time ago, but that didn't go so well. So Mom's learning with the rest of us.

**BRETT POV**

I always wished I could fly like Dad. He makes it seem so easy. I could watch him all day; so could Mom. Today, Dad said he would teach us how to fly like him. Mom didn't like the idea at first but me and Alex got her to listen to Dad. Then we got Iggy and Nudge and Hunter to come with us. Yea! We're going to have so much fun.

**Do y'all wanna know how the flight goes? I might put some FAX and NIGGY in it. R&R. Hawk is Alex's name for Hunter; he calls her Ria.**


	2. Those Wicked Hawk Moves

**DISCLAIMER: Hunter, Brett, Alex, and plot are mine. Everybody else is JP's.**

**A/N: **Some of the reviews asked for flashbacks. I promise the next chapter will be the start of a huge long multi-chapter flashback. This chapter has fax and niggy/nudgy.

**HUNTER POV**

My wings and name are a family joke. Fang said my wings look exactly like the wings of the hawks with whom he and Mom stayed. Fang said that today he would teach me how to "be a hawk." All the Flock laughed at that. Mom says my wings are very pretty; so does Max. But I'm the only one with red wings.

We're going to the mountains. Mom, Dad, and Max came because they wanted to learn from Fang too. Everybody says Fang is the best flier in our Flock. I'm happy he's teaching us today. I want to be as good as him some day. When we were little and had to come learn, Fang would do cool tricks if we did a good job. The grown-ups are saying we might go camping next week so we can try out long-distance flying. I love flying. It's fun feeling the wind all around you.

**FANG POV**

The whole family is going flying except Gazzy and Angel. Angel supposedly has a science report she needs to finish, and Gazzy has a lunch appointment-coughcough_date_- with someone. He says it's just they both head the same department in the same company, but we can all see he has a crush on her. So basically it's the kids and their parents. I told everybody I would teach some of the moves I learned from the hawks I stayed with when we were rescuing Angel. The kids are really excited, especially Hunter. His favorite animal is a hawk, probably because his wings look so much like a hawk's.

I fly up to Max. She doesn't see me. She's too busy making sure Alex and Brett stay out of any major mischief. I swear Gazzy and Iggy are teaching them something when Max and I aren't around. So much for not corrupting the young. I haven't told my theories to Max yet. I still can't believe Max is mine. I've liked her ever since...forever. She is my main reason for living, but I have to take care of the kids too.

Max, not watching anything but the kids like always (She was always very motherly), didn't see me sneak up to her. I flew right on top of her. The winds were strong, so her wings were not flapping too much. I touched her back where she likes it, right between her wings. She gasped and looked up, but by that time, I was already below her, kissing her neck. She tastes so good, even better than cookies.

After overcoming her initial surprise, she smiled at me. I flew a little harder so I could reach her face. She leaned in and kissed me on the lips. Her flapping slowed considerably, and now I was more or less supporting both of us.

Right then, Nudge says, "Max, Fang, not in front of the kids."

Of course said kids look over to see what Nudge is talking about and we have to break apart.

"Daddy, what were you and Mommy doing?" How do you explain romance to four year olds?

* * *

**MAX POV  
**

Um, okay. Did I really have to explain to four year olds what Fang and I were doing. That would be plain embarrasing, even though they watched it all the time in Disney/Dreamworks movies. Fang shot me a _what-are-we-gonna-tell-them _look, and I shrugged back. About the looks, after you spend all you life deciphering looks from someone who can't talk, you learn what different 'looks' mean.

"Nudge'll tell you." Good luck Nudge. She looked mortified while Iggy and Fang were struggling to hold laughter in.

Just then Brett pipes in, "Were you doing one of those Mommy and Daddy alone things?"

I blushed red as Hunter's wings when he said that. Who told him that?

* * *

**NUDGE POV**

'Thank you Brett' I screamed mentally. Who told him that? I bet it was Gazzy. He doesn't think he's corrupting young minds.

"I think that's exactly what they were doing, Brett. Maybe we should let them continue. We do want Dad to teach us his hawk moves instead of doing Mommy and Daddy alone things, don't we?"

With that the kids flew away and started playing one of those games that none of us adults understood. I sneaked a look at Max and Fang and they were blushing like crazy. It was so sweet. They had been _married_ for five years, and they still blushed when caught innocently kissing each other. Of course, the kids didn't even notice.

I felt a wing brush mine and looked around to see Iggy right by me.

"Why don't we do one of those 'Mommy and Daddy alone' things?" Then he kissed me, and I kissed him back without meaning to. You know, after a while, it becomes a reflex.

Somebody whisper-yelled, "Not in front of the kids.'' Iggy and I jumped a foot apart, and I saw Max and Fang smirking at us.

* * *

**IGGY POV**

Talk about bad timing, but the kids didn't hear. That's a good thing. You could feel the waves of embarrassment of Max and Fang when Nudge caught them. Go Nudge!

The kids looked like they were playing tag, but I knew better. They were probably playing Eraser and Flock or something. We told them all about the School but also told them not to worry or tell anybody. They were really good about hiding their wings. I could feel how much they just wanted to spend all day flying, but Dr. Martinez insisted they go to preschool. The teacher says they spend all their time together playing weird games. Why wouldn't they spend all their time together? They were born under the same roof for heaven's sake.

They always hang around Ella or Gazzy. Ella tells or reads them stories, and Gazzy corrupts their minds while claiming he's teaching them about the real world.

* * *

**BRETT POV**

When Nudge told us that Daddy might not teach us those moves he said he would, we all flew off as fast as we could. We started playing _Gone With the Wind._ It was some book Angel told us about. Whoever could stay up or glide the longest without flapping their wings won. Most the time Hunter won but he was the oldest by two weeks.

Dad shot past us and said, "This is where we're practicing." Alex and Hunter and I raced to where Daddy was. Alex won, like always. Sometimes she's even faster than Dad.

The first move Dad taught was landing. He curved his wing in a little and landed smoothly. First Mom and Iggy and Nudge tried. Nudge almost got it, but fell when her feet hit the ground.

Next Dad came over to us kids and taught it again for us. I got it right on the first try, and Alex did too. Hunter's landing was the best.

Dad laughed and said, "Why can you kids get it without trying? Must have something to do with being untried." Then he went back to help the grown-ups.

We spent all day practicing different moves. Our parents almost took longer to learn than we did but I think they were sneaking more of those 'mommy and daddy alone things' Gazzy was talking about. I think they call it kissing.

When the sun went away and we were falling asleep flying, Mom, Dad, Nudge, and Iggy took us home. I rode on Dad; Alex rode on Mom, and Hunter rode on Iggy. Nudge was telling them where to go. We slept all two hours home.

When we got home, Alex asked the Flock to tell us about how Mom saved the world. Dad said no, but Gazzy and Iggy got him to let us tell the story.

* * *

**FANG POV**

Tonight's story night, and of course the 'angels' had to ask for a dangerous story. This is supposedly my night to be narrator, but knowing the others, I'm probably only gonna tell half the story. I'm not complaining.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews make me put up the next chapter which begins the multi-chapter flashback. 10 sounds like a good number. About the multi-chapter flashback, I've watched too many movies which are half past and half present. It rubs off.**


	3. The World Is Not That Big

**DISCLAIMER: You know what's mine and what's not.**

**a/n: Flashback will start in this chapter, but the kids will grow up more. FAX romance and four-year olds do not mix (y'all want all the drama and passion, right?). What do y'all think about Alex and Hunter romance? They grew up together, but so did Max and Fang, and Iggy and Nudge. Flashbacks will be unitalicized. The beginning is present.**

_**MAX POV**_

_We couldn't tell the kids the story in its fully detailed entirety. I told the kids to change and brush so they would be ready to go to sleep when we were finished. They were exhausted but would never- could never- pass up a story.  
_

_"Fang, you know what to cut out, right?"_

_"Max, trust me. I'm not trying to corrupt them." And then he gave a quick kiss before the kids came down._

_The rest of the night passed with Fang's story. For Mr. Strong and Silent, he's a very good story teller. He made the story dramatic without long hard kisses and roundhouse kicks. The kids and I just love his stories. _

* * *

**_10 years later_**

**_BRETT POV_**

_"Mom, Dad, the English teacher told us we had to write a fiction short story for a contest. I was wondering if I could do the one about the school."_

_Mom said, "Honey, Alex and Hunter already asked. You can't all have the same story"_

_Dad said, "But you can all do different aspects of the same story."_

_Alex and Hunter then came in, talking about their day. They were top students in all their classes. I was in all their classes._

_ A sort of contest existed between them: who could do better in what classes. It included a lot of buttering up the teachers and studying/ goofing off together. They tried to include me, but there was no way in heaven or hell I could compete with them. They finished their homework way before me and then tried to help me with mine. It was a futile attempt. I could not understand negative vectors or Spanish conjugations, even if I were under the threat of death. _

_They seemed to have all these inside jokes where Alex would start giggling and Hunter would start chuckling. Needless to say, I didn't understand any of them but put up with Alex and Hunter because they were my siblings. _

_Alex said, "Yeah Dad, that's a great idea. I call the romance."_

_Hunter asked,"Could I have the part where Max saved the Flock from the school."_

_Then I said, "That leaves me with how Mom saved the world."_

_Hunter proceeded, "Will you retell us the story? I forgot some of the minor details."_

_Alex joked, "Yeah, we know how _obsessed_ you are with the _minor _details," which set up another round of laughing whilst being stared at by everybody else in the room. Another one of their 'inside jokes.'_

* * *

**_MAX POV_**

_They wanted us to retell them the story. I had known they would each choose those parts. Alex is always reading a romance novel; Hunter likes anything to do with action, including beating Erasers to pulp, and Brett would kill for a chance to go an adventure._

* * *

Beginning of Flashback (Voice will be italicized and underlined. Thoughts will be italicized): 

The night of the 'kiss' on the beach between Fang and me, we stayed at some hotel near the city. The kids were tired, and Fang was hurt. We had to walk to the hotel because the city was crowded.

I quickly booked two rooms with my Maximum Ride card. One room was a double and the other was a single; they were connected in the middle. I requested an extra bed in the single. The clerk was a little reluctant, but Fang managed to do a death glare, the kind that anybody sane, or for that matter insane, would fear. Amazing what he can even though he's hurt.

Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel and Total all ran into their room while Fang and I went into our room.

"You get the bed. No arguing," I told Fang. Knowing him, he would try to, but someone knocked on the door right then.

"Did you request an extra bed?"

"Thank you."

I put my bag on the bed where Fang was laying down and spread the sheets on my twin bed.

"Max, we can't have you rolling off the bed with one of your brain attacks."

"Ha-ha, very funny. Just go to sleep."

He actually listened, climbing into bed and pulling the covers over himself. I finished making my bed and fell asleep myself.

I was about to fall asleep when a friend decided to visit.

_"Hello Max. Have a good day?"_

_"Yes. You'd know all about it. Fighting Erasers, saving the Flock, big deal. Nothing new." _I said, sarcasm venom off my teeth.

"_Max, I'm trying to help you save the world. If you're nice I might tell you how."_

_"Voice, you've told me about saving the world a million times. What if I say I don't care?"_

_"Max, the world I'm talking about is not very large. This world might be worth your time. Those you care about are going to be affected. The choice is all yours. Save your world, or die without it."_

_"What are you talking about? Voice! Where are you?"_

"_Max, I'm going to be with you until you save the world."_

**A/N: What world is the Voice talking about? Will Max care? Should she care? Next chapter up once I get 12 reviews. All you have to put in the review is _yes _or _no _to Hunter and Alex and something from the list: I can hardly wait, good, decent, bad, go hide in a corner.**


	4. Nice Poem, Romeo

**DISCLAIMER: Not mine save BHAP.**

**a/n: Sorry, I didn't expect the reviews that fast. Thank you for all the reviews. This chapter is for the 7 people who reviewed and 60 people who saw the third chapter. Hunter and Alex: yes-2, no-1, maybe-2. For those who didn't say anything, you have a few more chapters before I do anything major. I am a _HOPELESS _romantic, so think of all the possibilities if you say yes. And yeah, I wrote a Fang and Max wedding story called _I Do_. I need you to tell me if that's how you want the wedding in this story, and if not, what to change.**

**About this entire flashback, back to present thing: pretend I sandwiched a prequel and sequel with ten years between them into one story,**

* * *

**MAX POV**

When I woke up the next morning, I rolled over and nearly fell off the bed. Maybe Fang was right about the entire fall-off-the-bed thing.

I went into the bathroom and took a shower. God knows how long before I get to take another shower without lightning and clouds and thunder surrounding me. I stayed under the hot water for a long time, letting it wash away all the dirt and grime I had collected.

"Max, I need hot water too," called Fang's voice from the other side of the door.

"No, you don't. You need lukewarm water with all your injuries," I hollered back.

I got out of the shower anyway. No need to make him angry so early in the morning.

As I stepped out of the bathroom, a hand grabbed my wrist and pulled me over. I was about to scream, but I was drawn into a kiss. I smelled Fang's scent and softened into the kiss. He pulled me closer, and I played with his dark hair. He looked especially cute when his hair was messy.

Just then, Nudge knocked on the connecting door and called out, "I'm hungry."

Fang and I broke apart, both of us grinning like maniacs.

"My reply to last night, love_,"_ he whispered into my ear, making the hairs on the back of my neck rise.

"You should still be in bed. You nearly died yesterday."

"I'm okay now, " he said lifting his shirt slightly to show me how much he healed.

"How?" was all I could manage to say.

"Tell you at breakfast," he replied before going to open the door. Outside, Nudge was waiting.

"Come on you two; the rest of the Flock is getting an elevator."

When we reached the elevators, Iggy and Gazzy had already called one. I told them to press the ground floor button and get into the back of the elevator.

We stopped on the second floor to pick up some more people. As soon as the elevator doors opened, Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, and Angel took off to the breakfast area.

Fang and I followed a little slower after them.

"Tell me now," I begged.

"Fine. You know how they say laughter is the best medicine."

"Yeah."

"Well, they also say love is the best medicine. Your love and kiss let me heal faster."

"Sure."

"No, really. You told me to not die."

"You listened."

"Yeah, I did. Plus I couldn't lose you when I just got you. It would hurt too much to go back to living like I had been for the past ten years."

"What do you mean?"

"Max. I loved you ever since we met at the School. Even then you were hardheaded and stubborn and our savior. You stood up to the whitecoats and encouraged the others to as well."

"But I was told to do what was right. Standing up against the whitecoats for everybody else was the right thing to do."

"Not everybody thought that was the right thing. Even I thought that being an experiment was part of my destiny until I met someone who disagreed."

"Me?"

"Yes, you. Then Jeb took us away from that place. I figured you had something to do with it. Then he left us. You kept us together and I started loving you even more."

"And now?"

* * *

**FANG POV**

"The stars would fall from the heavens, the winds will stop blowing, the sun would rise in the west, the currents will stop flowing ere my love for you wanes."

"Nice poem, Romeo."

"Hey, it's all my Juliet's fault. If she weren't so hot..." I trailed off.

"Fang!" she said, blushing very attractively.

Angel saved me and called us over. Max ran to the Flock and helped them with breakfast.

She smiled at me and said, "So you finally told her."

"You know, she's liked you for a while, too"

Max checked us out of the hotel. The plan was to go visit the friend whom she saved when she was playing 'super-girl'. The only reason we agreed to the plan was because we trusted Max's judgement. She was our leader; we were her Flock.

At 10 AM, right after breakfast and checkout, we walked to our secluded beach. It brought bittersweet memories. This was where Max nearly killed herself trying to take the chip out of her arm but also where she kissed me for the first time. We were going to take off from here.

Suddenly Max clutched her head and sunk to the ground.

**A/N: What's going on? 20 reviewsnew chapter. You know what to put in the review: yes/no to Hunter/Alex and something from the list: I can barely wait, good, decent, bad, go hide in a corner. If you've got any theories on what I'm going to do next, feel free to PM me. **


	5. Friends in the Disguise of Enemies

**DISCLAIMER: BHAPMAG are mine. Others are JP's**

**A/N: I'm going slightly AU: Mutants don't have 'expiration dates' and female Erasers exist. On the disclaimer, MAG will be explained soon. I realize I haven't updated in a week; I had terrible writer's block and a research paper to finish.****

* * *

**

_RECAP:_

_Suddenly Max clutched her head and sunk to the ground.

* * *

_

**MAX POV**

My head felt like it had broken into a million minuscule pieces.

But the images that came after the pain were worse. I just barely figured them out before they flashed into another image.

_The Flock covered in blood except for Iggy, and he and I were struggling to save the rest. _

_Erasers were attacking us, but two of them were fighting on our side._

_A boy with dark hair streaked with red leans over a girl who looks incredibly like Fang._

_The School is covered with flames, as if it had been bombed._

_A boy who looks like me converses with a female Eraser._

_"Max, are you alright?" _the Voice interrupted the stream of images.

_"Yes, now explain to me what that was all about."_

_"Saving the world Max entails many dangers. Just a small preview of those dangers."_

_"Who were boys and girls?"_

_"You saw those images? You weren't supposed to. I can't tell you who they were,"_the Voice was alarmed.

The Voice wouldn't say anything else to me about the boys and girls, but I had a feeling it was something major.

"Max, are you alright?"

I nodded at Fang.

"The Voice?"

"Yeah."

"What happened this time?"

"It showed me scary images. The School blowing up, and the Flock bleeding and..." I started to choke on my sobs. Fang came around and hugged me close to him. Like always, it made me feel a little better.

"I couldn't handle if you guys were like that. It would kill me."

"I know Max, I know. Just remember that I'm always here for you."

By that time the rest of the Flock had come back down to see what happened to me. Worry and concern blazed bright in all of their eyes.

"Is she okay, Fang?" Gazzy asked.

"Yeah, she's perfectly fine. Don't worry."

After convincing them that I was alright, we all flew away from the beach into the sky.

* * *

**FANG POV**

After flying all day with two food breaks, everybody was ready to snore their way into next week.

Max noticed this and said, "Somebody tell me when they see a forest, and we'll go set up camp."

The Flock, who were falling asleep flying, murmured an agreement.

"Fang, find one quick."

I spotted a forest clearing but 10 meters from where we were flying. I called the Flock over and pointed.

They all landed, demanded their blankets from me, and promptly fell asleep. Within five minutes, the steady even breathing of the Flock filled the air around Max and me.

"Max, you should get some sleep too. I'm taking first watch."

"Don't 'forget' to wake me up."

After four hours, I went and woke up Max. Thankfully, she didn't have any nightmares tonight.

"C'mon Max. Time to wake up. I need my beauty sleep too."

She sat up, blinked a couple of times, and went away to the watch post.

I didn't want to fall asleep on her, but the devil called sleep took me to its lair.

When the rest of the Flock and I woke up the next morning, Iggy immediately started breakfast before Nudge could say anything.

Max went to find a decent river or stream for water but came back with a look of fear so intense that even I was scared.

"Erasers are coming, U&A, guys. NOW. Nudge, we'll get something later."

We had just started take-off when the Erasers burst into our camp.

"Well, looky here, six birdies trying to run away from the big bad wolves." The rest of the Erasers chuckled.

"I see big bad wolves cowering and quaking in their boots," I commented dryly.

"Mind saying that again, birdboy?" the same Eraser from before replied, but his mirth had been replaced by anger.

"Yeah, I do." I charged at him, and the rest of the Flock charged at other Erasers.

Another Eraser came behind me as I was punching the first one; I sensed it and flew up right as he reached the first one. They bumped into each other. I laughed: The oldest trick in the book, and they still fell for it.

Then I saw Angel copying my technique, only she did it with her mind. It was amusing seeing Erasers run into each other without thinking.

Max and Iggy were fighitng up three a piece. Gazzy and Nudge had two. The next thing I saw shocked me beyond shock. Two Erasers were fighting other Erasers; they were fighting on our side!

It didn't take us too long to take them all down. I wondered why they even bother.

"Who are you two?" I asked the pair

"We're friends in the disguise of enemies. Let us join you," answered the girl.

"How do we know we can trust you?"

"You don't," responded the boy.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, Max saw these two in her 'brain explosion.' But who are they? Would the whitecoats scheme like this, or are the two Erasers actually friends?**


	6. Cupid and Psyche

**DISCLAIMER: BAGHAP mine; everyone/thing else JP's**

**A/N: Thank you to the 26 people who viewed this last time I checked. How many of y'all read the summary change and think you know what's gonna happen?**

**Dedication: ****lildragonpet**, **the only reviewer to chapter five.**

**Onto this massively long chapter that I couldn't figure out how to end.**

* * *

RECAP:

**_FANG POV_**

_"Who are you two?" I asked the pair_

_"We're friends in the disguise of enemies. Let us join you," answered the girl._

_"How do we know we can trust you?"_

_"You don't," responded the boy._

* * *

Max whispered something to Angel. Angel responded to her, and Max seemed satisfied. 

"We need to get out of here right now. Everyone ready to fly?" said Max. Everyone murmured agreement.

"In the flight, maybe we can share some details," she added. My Max always knew how to deal with 'issues.'

"Names first. I'm Anna and this is my best friend Gabriel. We learned what the School was doing, thought it was wrong, and tried to get away. You presented yourselves as an opportunity to escape. We hope you can accept us. Your turn."

Nudge started, "I'm Nudge. This is Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, and Angel," pointing to each of us in turn. "The whitecoats at the School took us when we were babies and gave us wings. Angel has lots of cool powers like telepathy and breathing underwater and talking to fish and stuff. Iggy's blind, but he and Gazzy make 'explosives' - that's what Max calls them - all the time. Max and Fang are like our mom and dad and have taken care of us ever since we escpaed from the school"

When Nudge finally stopped to breathe, Gabriel interjected, "So a lot happened to y'all. Same with me and Anna. Anna can read minds and feelings. Helped us know when the 'whitecoats' were getting suspicious."

Both of them seemed too friendly, like they were on the verge of despereration. They seemed alright but some cynical part of me kept me wary. Everybody else trusted them completely, like Anna and Gabriel had been living with us for years. How could they accept the enemy so easily? Of course they did fight on our side against the Erasers. I argued with myself over and over until I confused myself beyond the point of return and decided to trust Max, her voice, and her judgement.

* * *

**GABRIEL POV **_(A few hours later)_

It was twilight, where you could just barely see where anything was. They trusted us. It was the kind of trust that betraying would kill you. Except Fang. He doesn't like us. I can't blame him; he seems to have fought enough like us to believe we were devil spawn on earth.

The little kid they called Gazzy was about to fall asleep flying. They flew away to nowhere in particular on a daily basis. She said they were heading for the School because of what some voice in her head told her. Why does she trust it? I would call her a schizo, but that would be biting the hand that feeds you because she is the only reason Fang isn't punching Anna and me right now.

Anna. She could talk for hours but thankfully knew when to shut up. She was the only one who agreed with me when I said anything against the School. When she was afraid, her cinnamon-colored eyes trusted me. Even when her tanned skin and charcoal hair exuded confidence, almost to the point of arrogance, her eyes betrayed everything to me: her fear, her helplessness, her trust.

The blind kid Iggy interrupts my thoughts with, "Max, we really, really need to take a break. We're all tired, and it's dark."

Fang scans below us and points, "Everybody land right there."

Max adds, "If you two want to join us, you can." glancing at Fang. He just shrugs.

When we land, Max says. "I'll take first watch."

I knew this was a prime opportunity to get on their good side.

"I'll take second."

Fang immediately snarled and said, "No, I will," at the same time Max says, "Okay."

* * *

**MAX POV**

"Gabriel, go get some sleep. I'm waking you up in four hours."

I pulled Fang over, and whispered, "Fang, what's wrong with you?"

"I don't trust them. They're Erasers."

"Fang, they're as human as we are. They're intelligent and caring enough to rebel against the School. They may be spies, but can't they also just want out? I don't trust them completely either, but I think we can trust him enough to let him keep watch. If it makes you feel better, I'll wake you up for the watch too. Just stay in bed."

When my four hours were up, I walked up to Fang and kicked him awake. I whispered to him to stay in bed. Then I walked over to where Gabriel was sleeping near Anna and woke him up.

He looked at me groggily and mumbled something completely unintelligible.

"Your watch Gabriel. Hear or see anything weird or just not normal, wake me or Fang up. 'kay?"

"Yeah, sure," he replied, now completely awake.

I went back over to the Flock and laid down next to Fang.

"Don't worry too much. I'm sure they're okay. I even had Angel read their minds. At least pretend to give your trust. It might lull them into telling us something."

"Max, you told them about your Voice and the School. I can see you believe them. I trust your judgement- you're our leader -but what if they are the enemies, like all the other Erasers."

"Fang, they fought on our side and came with us afterwards."

"Set-up."

"Fang, quit worrying."

"But Ma-," I cut him off with a kiss.

"Fang, trust me. If they turn out bad, you can say 'I told you so'.''

"If you say so."

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer. He brushed his lips against mine and said "Sweet dreams, sweetheart."

I fell asleep against his chest.

* * *

**FANG POV**

I fell asleep not too long after Max. Something about her and her 'lecture' made me not worry about Gabriel. If she could trust him, so could I. I woke up to see her head against my chest and my arms around her waist. She was so close to me that paper couldn't pass between us.

Iggy called, "Fang, wake up your girlfriend, get her and yourself over here, and eat your breakfast. Gabe and Anna have some questions."

I shook Max's shoulders slightly. She said something incoherent and went back to sleep.

Looks like I have to do it the 'other' way. I shifted down a little and kissed her.

She immediately woke up and almost screamed before I put my hand on her mouth and whispered, "It's me."

She visibly calmed.

"We got to go eat breakfast."

* * *

**ANNA POV**

I cooked breakfast that morning.

Iggy said, "Thanks. If I'm not cooking, we're eating high-sugar, high-fat, low-nutrient junk. Thank God Max manages to find a hotel for us every couple of days."

Gabriel came over from the sentry spot and asked, "Do Fang and Max always sleep like that?"

Iggy responded, "Yeah. Our first-in-command and second-in-command always stay up half the night and discuss plans. Whenever I'm on watch, I can hear them argue."

"No, not like that. It's like, I don't know. Just go and see."

Iggy and I went over with Gabriel.

Fang and Max were snuggled up really close together. Try swiping a credit card through them and it wouldn't go more than two millimeters.

I looked into Gabriel's blue eyes, framed by his long black bangs. He smiled and whispered, "Cupid and Psyche."

I smiled back, and Iggy looked confused.

"Long story short, really sappy Greek myth," explained Gabe.

We went back to the fire Iggy has set up. How he lit fires when he couldn't see eluded me.

Gabriel, being his usual clownish self, joked, "So Fang, Max, what happened last night? Y'all were awfully quiet."

Max blushed at being found so close to Fang, but Fang confidently answered, "Nothing, just sleeping."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

Later when we were packing, Max came over to me and asked, "You like him, don't you?"

* * *

**A/N: What will Anna say? Will Fang and Max get over their prejudice and trust them? Are Gabriel and Anna friends in the disguise of enemies, or vice versa? Review and you get the answers to all these questions. Do you guys like Gabriel/Anna POV? I also really need to know what Iggy's given last name is and baby girl names. Hunter needs a last name, and you can probably figure out what I, the hopeless romantic, am going to do with the girl names.**


	7. Pyramus, Thisbe, and Subway

**DISCLAIMER: Maximum Ride and her Flock belong to James Patterson, but Anna and Gabriel belong to me. Subway and Burger Knig and anything related to them does not belong to me either.**

**A/N: Thank you for all the reviews. I loved them. I was planning to put this up yesterday but ended up with a mind blank and updated _Survivor,_ my _Twilight _fic instead. A small sidenote: Anna's eyes are described as cinnamon-colored. Cinnamon is brown, not red as gum companies have led you to believe. There is a whole bunch of dialog in this chapter, but it's an exchange between two characters and I put pronouns every few sentences, so you can probably keep up.

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RECAP:

_**ANNA POV**_

_Later when we were packing, Max came over to me and asked, "You like him, don't you?"

* * *

_

"Yeah, I do. I love Gabe's eyes. He shows so much in them. But I like his smiles even better. He has so many different smiles I could write a book on them. My favorite's the one that's mine. The one where his eyes- I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"You love him a lot. Have you told him?" she asked me.

"No, I haven't. What if he just sees me as the friend who rebelled with him."

"He had other 'friends' that didn't come with him."

"But, still," I retorted, unsure.

"Anna, if you want him, go tell him. Guys can be extremely dense sometimes. I kissed Fang when he had a life-threatening wound to tell him. The next day he went Romeo on me." Max smiled at the memory.

"But you two belong together. I saw this morning." She blushed crimson at this.

"So do you and Gabriel. I've seen it in your eyes when the other isn't looking. Angel, our little mind reader, saw it in both of your heads. I didn't specify who 'he' was when I asked you if you liked him. Are you still denying?"

"No." "Good."

* * *

**FANG POV**

"What do you think about her?" I asked Gabriel.

"I love her eyes. They tell me so much, and I just love that brown."

"You're the only one that can read them, right?"

"It's not that hard. You do it perfectly with Max from what Iggy told me."

"Actually, Max is the only person whose eyes I can read. I can because I love her."

"Wait, are you suggesting I love Anna? Because she's not more than a friend," he argued.

"A friend that agreed to join your rebellion while tempting death?"

"What if she doesn't like me back and only did it because the School and Erasers were cruel?" I felt his defenses breaking down.

"I still think she likes you, and I know you like her back."

"How?"

"I didn't ask what you thought about Anna. I asked what you thought about 'her.' And you're past smitten if you go dreamy at just her eyes."

"Hey, I'm not that bad. You go dreamy at her name," he countered

"But everybody knows she's mine and I'm hers."

"Yeah, Romeo, they do after that 'stunt' you and Juliet pulled this morning."

"My friend Pyramus, your Thisbe awaits you to declare your unwavering love. Now go and kiss her."

"What if she pulls away and hates me?"

"She won't."

* * *

**GABRIEL POV**

Trusting Fang for some reason I don't know, I sneaked up behind Anna and hugged her. When she turned around, surprised and about to scream, I captured her lips with my own. Her eyes shot wide open. Then she recognized me and closed her eyes. She had accepted me. I was happy beyond belief.

Iggy came around, breaking us apart.

"Great, now I have to shield the kids from two couples. Maybe we should make a couples' corner. Don't want to corrupt them," Iggy said, pointing at the rest of their Flock. Annoyance dripped off every word

Max came up and said, "Iggy, you're overreacting. Chill. We know you want to see us all happy. We'll keep it low-key for the kids. Okay?"

Iggy nodded and went back to packing. The plan was we would have lunch in a Subway because it was Gazzy's turn to choose. Anna and I had flown by one once, but we had never been inside one.

Gazzy explained, "It's like a big sandwich store. They make them really good. But the cookies are the best. Don't try any bread with cheese on top of it. They taste bad."

I was still a little apprehensive. Why couldn't we just have gone to a Burger King?

I stepped in and the first thing that I saw was the picture with a loaf of bread filled with veggies and meat on it. It looked like a hamburger, just the wrong shape. Who wants an ellipse when they can have a circle?

The Flock ordered their sandwiches like they had done this a million times already, three foot-longs each for Max, Fang, and Iggy, two foot-longs for Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel. I ordered two veggies on wheat with mayonnaise on them because veggie was the cheapest sandwich. Anna ordered the same on honey-oat bread. Max made them all Value Meals and paid for them with a credit card I didn't even know she had.

We paid and then sat down at two tables. Max and Fang sat with Anna and me while Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel sat at the other table. In ten minutes we were all finished and satisfied.

Max said, "Next stop is in Arizona." I did some quick calculations. We were in the middle of Texas, we should make it there by nightfall.

**MAX POV**

We flew nonstop over New Mexico until we reached the borders of Arizona. The younger ones were exhausted, and the rest of us were tired too. I had told everybody our next stop would be Arizona and here was Arizona.

As soon as camp was laid out, everybody climbed under the blankets and promptly fell asleep except Fang who had first watch. Anna had second watch.

I heard everybody's steady breathing before sleep overtook me.

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**A/N: Go to the MR website and vote for an MR4. **

**a/n2: What did y'all think about the Subway part? Do you like shorter updates faster or longer updates slower? **

**For anybody who cares, Pyramus and Thisbe were an ancient Greek version of Romeo and Juliet. They were neighbors who talked to each other through a hole in the wall their houses shared. They decide to elope and were to meet at the Tomb of Ninus. Thisbe reached early and was chased by a lioness. Pyramus reached the tomb and saw the lioness' footprints and Thisbe's bloody tattered robe. Imagining the worst, he stabbed himself with his sword. Thisbe came and saw Pyramus dying and stabbed herself as well. **


	8. Arizona

**A/N: SORRY FOR THE DELAY; I HAD TROUBLE UPLOADING. Thank you for all the reviews (1 for approx. every 10 hits). Last chapter was almost complete filler, but Anna and Gabe got together. Fang and Max are still together as well. All hopeless romantics like me are screaming YEA. Now we have to get Iggy and Nudge together and we'll be set. But Niggy/Nudgy(Which one is it?) can wait for later. Gabe/Anna and Fang/Max await. Lots of naughtiness. ;) **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Fang, Max, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy, Ella, Mrs. Martinez, Pop-tarts, Cheerios, Fritos or Gatorade.**

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RECAP 

_**MAX POV**_

_We flew nonstop over New Mexico until we reached the borders of Arizona. The younger ones were exhausted, and the rest of us were tired too. I had told everybody our next stop would be Arizona and here was Arizona._

_As soon as camp was laid out, everybody climbed under the blankets and promptly fell asleep except Fang who had first watch. Anna had second watch._

_I heard everybody's steady breathing before sleep overtook me._

* * *

**FANG POV**

I know watch was supposed to be spent watching, but we were in the middle of a desert and I got distracted. Max was already in the dreams I had while sleeping; now she had invaded my daydreams too. I played with the sand near my feet and thought more about Max and me.

I heard a sound and immediately broke out of my reverie. It turned out it was just Gabriel rolling over. He and Anna were sharing a blanket, as were Gazzy and Angel, and Nudge and Iggy. Angel really wanted to sleep with her big brother for some reason I'm not even going to pretend to know.

I glanced at my watch. I was supposed to wake Anna in about fifteen minutes. After taking our side against Eraser twice, they were starting to win my trust. You know what they say: Birds of a feather flock together. Pun intended.

When my fifteen minutes were up, I went to the blanket Anna and Gabe shared. Gabe had his arm around her waist. I smiled, remembering all the times I held Max like that. I kicked Anna awake, carefully avoiding Gabe's arm. Gabe and Anna were as good as Flock members now; they received all the advantages and disadvantages.

"What?" Anna mumbled sleepily.

"Your watch."

"I don't wanna,"she said, still in a sleepy stupor.

"Anna, wake up. It's Fang, and it's your watch," I whisper-yelled, trying to get her alert. I really wanted to go to bed.

Her eyes shot open, and she wriggled out of Gabriel's arms.

"Wake up Max or me if you see or hear anything."

I walked over to the blanket I shared with Max. I fell asleep as soon as my eyes were closed.

* * *

**ANNA POV**

I sat around waiting for my four hour watch to end. Every single infinitesimal sound startled me out of another daydream of Gabe and me. Call me skittish or a scared slacker.

When it was nearly seven, Gabriel woke up and sat next to me. He placed a light kiss on my lips and laid his arm across my shoulders.

"Did you sleep well?" I asked Gabe.

"Yeah, when you, my angel, came into my dreams."

"You're such a flirt," I said, playfully slapping him on the arm.

"That's why you love me," he countered, staring straight into my eyes.

Then Iggy came by, sniffed the air, and asked, "What did you make for breakfast?"

"Iggy, we're in the desert. We have the stuff Max bought, but I can't really 'make' anything."

"Except love to Gabriel," he teased.

I blushed while Gabriel countered, "Not yet, Ig, but soon," winking at me with a twinkle in his eyes.

Fang and Max had joined us during the exchange, and I blushed even harder when I saw them.

"So that's what you do when both of you aren't on watch," Fang said, as if he had just had an epiphany.

Gabriel retorted, "I'm sure your 'sleeping with' Max isn't entirely innocent." It was Max's turn to blush.

"I'm as innocent as you are," Fang shot back.

"What do you mean?" Gabriel looked confused.

"I saw her with you last night."

"I'm still confused. I kissed her, but that's it." Then it dawned on Gabriel.

"You're saying that's all you've done to Max. I find that difficult to believe."

"It's only as difficult as believing you've only kissed Anna."

During this 'intense' conversation in which Max's and my faces gradually got redder, the rest of the Flock had woken up and joined us.

Nudge commented, "Touché. Max, I'm hungry."

Max said, "We have Pop-tarts, Cheerios, Fritos, water, and Gatorade. What do you want?"

"Pop-tarts and Gatorade."

"Alright. Everybody eat breakfast because then we have to go to the my friend's house," Max continued.

* * *

**MAX POV _(A couple of hours later)_**

We landed in some forested area right outside Ella Martinez's neighborhood.

"Hey, Flock, we're gonna have to walk from here. It's not too long," I explained.

Fang threw a questioning look at me and I mouthed 'trust me' back at him. The rest of the Flock were following me even though they looked confused.

I tried to remember how to get to the Martinez house.

Then I heard the Voice in my head, _Take a right here, then another two streets down. It's second house on the left._

_You came back._

_Yes Max, I did._

_Why?_

_Because I need to make sure you save the world. To save the world, you need to be safe and inconspicuous. Eight kids walking around alone in an Arizona summer's afternoon are not exactly what one would call unnoticeable._

_Thanks._

Fang was looking at me and mouthed, 'Voice?' I nodded.

In a couple of minutes, we reached Ella's house. I gulped and stopped.

"You all stay behind in the driveway, alright? I don't want to scare them by showing up with seven more winged people."

They all agreed, the older ones rather more reluctantly than the younger ones.

I walked up the stairs and rang the doorbell.

I heard Ella calling, "I'll get it" and racing to the door.

When she saw who was at the door, she smiled and squealed, bringing Dr. Martinez to the door.

Ella said, "Hi, Max!" while Dr. Martinez said, "Come on in!"

I said, "Hi, Ella, Dr. Martinez. I'll come in, but I have some friends waiting in the driveway. Could they join us?"

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**A/N: Eight more kids? Can Mrs. Martinez handle it? How will the Ella and Dr. Martinez react to Gabriel and Anna, our flying Erasers? How is Max going to save the world? To find out, PLEASE REVIEW. Also need your input on Hunter and Alex if Brett finds a girl.**


	9. The Martinez Household

**A/N: Fang is way OOC in this, I had too much chocolate. Also, this chapter is a little on the short side. On the bright side, most of this is Fang POV. Just a little sidenote about Hunter and Alex(andria): Their childhood names for each other were Hawk and Ria. **

**DISCLAIMER: GAPHAB is mine; everybody else is JP's. **

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_**RECAP**_

_Ella said, "Hi, Max!" while Dr. Martinez said, "Come on in!"_

_I said, "Hi, Ella, Dr. Martinez. I'll come in, but I have some friends waiting in the driveway. Could they join us?"_

* * *

**FANG POV**

I heard two female voices in addition to Max. I still had misgivings, but my heart forced me to trust Max.

After about three minutes, Max came and got us from the driveway.

"Dr. Martinez, there's eight of us all together." Max introduced us all quickly. I saw disbelief flicker in Dr. Martinez's eyes, but she didn't say anything.

Her daughter was more straightforward. "I didn't know there were so many of you."

Gabriel, ever the charmer, smiled and said, "There's more like Anna and me, but Max and her Flock are rather unique."

Dr. Martinez said, "Come in, all of you. You're welcome to stay here a while, but sleeping arrangements might be a problem."

Max piped up, "Don't worry about us. We'll manage on the floor down here. Ella can join us if she wants."

"Are you sure?"

Here I coolly entered, "Yes, we are, Dr. Martinez."

She nodded and moved into what I figured to be the kitchen.

"Why don't all of you have a snack and we can talk?"

Nudge answered for all of us, "Yes, I'm _starved_!" The rest of us chuckled.

"Well, the only thing I have enough of for all nine of you is macaroni and cheese. Is that alright?"

We responded with a chorus of yeah's and nods.

Her daughter, Ella, started, "So do all of you have wings?"

We nodded in unison.

"Can I see?"

I said, "Curtains drawn and blinds down on every window, right?"

"Yes, sir," Ella replied, mocking me.

"Better safe than sorry."

Gabe suddenly unfurled his wings but only got them about halfway open seeing his wingspan was about sixteen feet. So was mine. He shrugged nonchalantly. The rest of us opened our wings halfway and then immediately closed them back up.

Dinner that night was great, hot and homecooked, just the way I like it. Nudge and Gazzy had cheese all over their faces. We already ate like people from the desert; when we were really hungry...Dr. Martinez can tell you what happens. We ended up eating almost four plates each of the scrumptious mac and cheese.

During dinner, Max and I explained to them what happened to us. They gasped and smiled conspiratorially at all the right places, but something stopped me from letting Martinez women know about our or Anna and Gabe's relationships. Just one of those gut feelings you learn to trust after almost everybody else deceives you. They do say deceiving yourself is called denial.

After dinner, we pulled out the blankets while Ella scampered upstairs to grab her sleeping bag.

When she came downstairs and saw Max and I about to slip under the same blanket, she demanded, "Max, spill. I want all the details." I was surprised; she sure knew a lot for a 11-year-old. Gone were the days of coyness often written about in books. Cue reminiscent sigh.

My ever coy Max looked highly uncomfortable so I made things easier for her by throwing my arm across her shoulders and kissing her temple. Ella glanced at the floor and mumbled something about 'getting a room'. I smirked at her; Max blushed, probably at being found out.

Ella grumbled, turned around, and put her sleeping bag near Gazzy and Angel's blanket; after looking at the other three blankets, she went to the place where she was guaranteed silence, because she knew Gazzy and Angel were siblings.

"So, how does my mutant fare?" I questioned in a whisper as we got into our makeshift 'bed'.

"You're possessive."

"Not at all, just a show-off."

"Oh, Fang, save me before my knees that have turned to jelly fall out from underneath me," She flatly responded.

I chuckled. I liked my Max best this way: slightly sarcastic. It was so much better than when she was vulnerable.

She lifted her head a little and placed a light kiss on my lips and then pulled back.

"That's all?"

"The rest of the Flock and Ella are here. We can't corrupt them."

* * *

**MAX POV**

The next morning at breakfast, Ella asked me, "How long are you planning on staying?"

Dr. Martinez added, "You do know that you can stay as long as you want?"

I replied, "Yes, I know, but I don't know how long we can stay." It killed me to see how forlorn the faces of the younger ones looked; anybody could see they had already taken a liking to the Martinezes.

I looked at Fang, but neither his stance nor his face would betray anything to me.

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**A/N: You get to decide whether they stay or go straight to the School. I'm planning on the latter, then them coming back for Mission: Normal Teenagers. PLEASE REVIEW.** **It awes me how my four-chapter _Twilight _fic has more chapter than this nine-chapter one. **


	10. The School

**A/N: Only 3 reviews? Anyway, the plan is to make them go to the School, come back to the Martinezes for a year or so of school and then end flashback. Cool? Jupiters of Niggy in this chapter.**

**DISCLAIMER: BAHGAP mine. Nothing else.**

**DEDICATION: This chapter is for **_**-Jeisa- **__**CrimsonScarz, **_**and **_**knuckles7999 **_**for letting me know they want me to continue.**

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_RECAP:_**

_**MAX POV**_

_The next morning at breakfast, Ella asked me, "How long are you planning on staying?"_

_Dr. Martinez added, "You do know that you can stay as long as you want?"_

_I replied, "Yes, I know, but I don't know how long we can stay." It killed me to see how forlorn the faces of the younger ones looked; anybody could see they had already taken a liking to the Martinezes._

_I looked at Fang, but neither his stance nor his face would betray anything to me._

* * *

I said, "I'm afraid we have to go but we promise to come back." The entire Flock, even Fang and Anna and Gabriel, were furiously nodding. Angel was trying to force me into letting them stay, but it wasn't working. 

Ella said, "Max, you better come back or else..." trying to lighten the mood, but tears glistened in her eyes.

I hugged her and then Dr. Martinez. "Remember to keep rooms ready for us." They showed us out and waved goodbye.

Our next destination was the School. We flew into California, ready for some action.

* * *

**GABRIEL POV  
**

A few hours later, we were within ten minutes of the School. Bad memories infiltrated my mind, making me wince and flinch involuntarily. Since we were in the back, nobody but Anna picked up on these.

"Gabe, what's wrong?" she asked slowing down a little.

"Remember what they made us do when we were newbies?" I asked, slowing down with her.

"What are you talking about?"

"All those inane never-ending tests which were nothing but pure torture."

"Yeah, but I'm sure they had it worse," she said gesturing towards the Flock members without wolf DNA.

"How?"

"I once read in Angel's mind the 'whitecoats' made her run through a electrically charged maze."

"Ouch. They have way more reason than us to hate the school."

I heard Nudge asking, "Where are Gabe and Anna?"

Fang looked around and responded, "I don't know."

Then Iggy calls, a little louder in an attempt to relieve some of the tension, "Gabriel, in mid-air is not the best place to try something."

I called back, playing along with the 'comic relief', "Damn Iggy, and I was just about to get lucky." Anna blushed, even though no one was there to see us. I'm still struggling to decide whether her eyes or her blush is her best feature.

While I was arguing with myself, we came up right behind the rest of the Flock. I saw the building where I was created and trained to be ruthless...the School.

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**FANG POV  
**

To say I hated the School would be as much of an understatement as saying the Pacific Ocean wasn't a puddle would be. Saying I abhorred it, detested it, despised it, loathed it, scorned it, and shunned it would still be a slight understatement. The rest of the Flock feels the same way. For once, I have absolutely no idea _what _is going through Max's head.

Max glanced at all the Flock, and slightly inclined her head towards each one, even Anna and Gabriel. We all nodded back towards her. We walked through the doors, heads held high but ears open for any Eraser attacks.

* * *

**IGGY POV**

I know everybody is walking in with confidence, almost to the point of arrogance, in their stride, even though nobody is sure about anything. So I pick my head up and start walking my laidback I-don't-care gait, the one I used at home when we were safe, before these Eraser attacks and things came down upon us wherever we went. That one worked especially well to rile Max; of course, Fang, second-in-command and Max's secret admirer, didn't approve of upsetting Max, but back then, the carefree me had no reason to care.

I sense Nudge close to me. It just the way she carries herself. I am able to feel the others and normally figure out who they are, but Nudge sends off this vibe so different I instantly know it's her. I haven't told anybody else about it because I couldn't tell it to Nudge for obvious reasons, Fang or Max would brush it off or say something ridiculous, Gazzy and Angel are too young and would try to secure me a spot in an asylum, and Total is a dog.

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**NUDGE POV  
**

I move close to Iggy. I'm really scared, but just being near Iggy chases my fears away faster than talking with Max does. Iggy even occasionally pretends to listen to my babbling. Like always, just being here near him makes me less worried and adds a little confidence to my stride.

If anybody notices my moving closer to Iggy, they don't say anything. What are they gonna say? It's not like there's anything inherently wrong with being near the person who dispels your fears when you're scared. Of course, there's the fact that he can cheer me up in a flash too, but that's a different story. Just about anything he says or does makes me smile.

I feel Iggy tense up next to me and immediately look up and around. I don't see anything, so I trust my ears not to betray me. They don't, and I hear heavy footsteps.

I look at Iggy, and he mouths, "Erasers."

I tap him once on the hand, our Flock gesture for yes or any form of an affirmative. I walked over to Max and whispered in her ear, "Max, Iggy says Erasers are close." She nodded.

I looked forward again and all my calmness and confidence flew away. The Erasers had turned into our corridor.

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**A/N: Ok, a filler chapter, but necessary Niggy. I have a pretty good idea how Max is going to save the Flock, probably over a chapter or two. PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	11. Instant Faint Injection

**A/N: Okay, lots of filler (Fax, Nudgy) fluff in this short chapter. Heads up, this story will not have any MIggy. It's just a sibling relationship.**

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_**RECAP**_

_**NUDGE POV**_

_I looked forward again and all my calmness and confidence flew away. The Erasers had turned into our corridor._

* * *

Max, Fang, Iggy, Anna, and Gabriel immediately acted, circling around with their backs towards the rest of us. There they go again with their 'protect the young' instincts. They all were in a similar fight stance. 

I looked at Iggy and stared at the fierce glare in his eyes. He was glaring because I, well Gazzy and Angel and I, were in danger

* * *

**ANNA POV**

Angel was already working on disarming them: having them run into each others, punch themselves in the nose, kick comrades, etc. I figured out what she was doing and teamed up with her since we were both telepathic. I told her which ones were about to get back up, and she sent another Eraser to bring them back down.

When the other Erasers were done bashing each other, Gabriel and Fang went around knocking each one out. I found it surprising how quickly Fang's initial hostility disappeared. Now Gabriel and Fang were working like brothers wanting to protect their family from hurt.

We walked further into the hallway on the constant look out for more of Gabriel and my kind. We didn't meet any of them; instead we ran into one of the Flock's 'whitecoats'.

Max tensed up and asked, "What do you want Jeb?"

"Max you come willingly to Itex and expect me to do nothing?" he challenged back.

Fang entered in the conversation and said coldly, "Jeb, leave her alone."

"How sweet. Loverboy comes and plays knight in shining armor," Neb said sarcastically. Fang growled.

Jeb looked back at the Flock and said, "Gabriel, Anna, nice to see you again," in one of those fake cheery voices.

Fang, Max, and Iggy glared at him. None of us noticed the Erasers coming up behind us until we were injected with an instant-faint solution.

* * *

**MAX POV**

I woke up in a white room where the fluorescent light beams ricocheted off the walls and the overly clean smell wafted into the air like fog. Iggy was awake, but the rest of the Flock were still out.

Iggy informed me, "They've stirred a couple of times but not much more." I glanced over at them and gasped. All of them looked worse for the wear, like they were beaten up badly. All of them had bruises and swelling.

"What's it from?"

"Their little shot didn't work as well as they thought it should. They resisted the effects. You and I were the least resistant."

I felt so weak, not being able to resist. My eyes started tearing, making Iggy look up at me. He stumbled/crawled over to where I was because there were bodies between him and me that he couldn't step on.

He held me and cooed in my ear, "Max, come on, don't cry. It's okay. You didn't resist because you knew what they were doing."

Then I felt another pair of arms around me and a voice saying, "Iggy, I'll take her from here."

Fang held me and rubbed my back, soothing me with murmurs of , "It's alright" and "Everything will be okay." He knew exactly how to make me quit being a blubbering infant.

Before I fell asleep in his comforting arms, I saw Iggy doing the same thing to a now-conscious Nudge and smiled to myself.

* * *

I woke up all alone. 

Someone came in the room and said, "Your presence is requested in Lab A."

"And I will come because...?" I trailed off, waiting for him to answer.

"Because your 'friends' are in danger."

I nearly collapsed right there but thinking about what those whitecoats were doing to my Flock kept me together.

"Take me there."

He consented and leaded me into a huge room. I saw the members of my Flock in different corners, but I sensed something was wrong. Then it clicked.

There were two of everybody.

* * *

**A/N: I know this chapter was extremely short. I could not for the life of me figure out how to write this chapter but didn't want to leave y'all hanging. I promise next chapter will be better and longer. PLEASE REVIEW!!!**


	12. Clones

**A/N: This update is a little late, but as I promised, it's a little longer. It's also almost pure description, very little dialogue. Trying to practice other development techniques, for the stories I'm writing on fictionpress._

* * *

_**

**_RECAP_** **_(MAX POV)_**

"_Take me there."_

_He consented and leaded me into a huge room. I saw the members of my Flock in different corners, but I sensed something was wrong. Then it clicked._

_There were two of everybody._

_

* * *

_

They had cloned the entire flock, including Anna and Gabriel. I had no idea how to tell any of them apart. They weren't even situated in groups to help me; everybody slumped onto the floor in his or her own small section of wall.

The spacing was perfectly even, as if some meticulous worker had drawn lines all over the wall to place them. Even with the slumping, the perfection was clearly evident and downright intimidating.

Jeb walked up to me and sneered, "Greetings, Miss Maximum Ride. I'm pleased to see you agreed to my request."

I snarled, "Just tell me what I have to do."

He chuckled and reprimanded, "Max, temper won't get you anything."

I then used the cold, unemotional tone I picked up from Fang to say, "What do you want me to do?"

"Why Max, I thought you would have figured it out by now. You get to choose who," he gestured to the others, "lives and who dies."

When he saw my confused expression, "The original and the clone will come up to you. Figure out which one you want to keep."

Shock overcame me; they had cloned my entire Flock!

The Voice told me, _Max, you know one thing about each of them that will tell you the difference. Find it._

_What does this have to do with saving the world?_ I asked.

_It shows them clones are not the originals. Otherwise, they would try to clone everybody on the planet, including those in graves and catacombs , leading to overpopulation and possibly the spread of ancient diseases._

_Why are you helping with this? _deciding to ask this because the Voice was being so frank with me.

_I've worked at Itex since before you were born. I know what they want to do. I also get premonitions; I knew exactly what was going to happen. After this, I'll leave you alone._

_For good?_

_For good. _I wasn't sure whether to be happy or upset.

Meanwhile, I asked the Voice, _Will you be able to help me tell the difference?_

_No. I was just told that the clones would have the same DNA, and both parties would have the same skin markings. The only thing different is that the clones have a number tattooed on their thighs. _I grimaced; thatleft out any chance of me figuring it out that way. _I'm afraid you'll have to do it all by yourself._

"Jeb, I'm ready."

"Then let's get started. I'm sure you wouldn't mind terribly if Fang came up first. And remember, once you select one it is final, and the pair you're choosing between cannot utter a word or both die."

My mind reeled from thinking about how I was going to know which one was my Fang. It didn't take me too long to figure out. Whenever we had a stare (glare) contest, he would never back down. Even Iggy was humbled by my glares, the ones he couldn't even see.

When both the Fangs came up, I stared straight into their eyes. Both of them stared straight back. I went up to the one on the right on a hunch and kissed him soundly on the lips. When I felt him kissing back, I knew I had found the first original.

Only six more to go. Next up came Iggy.

Fang whispered in my ear, "The new one is probably not blind."

"How are we going to know if he's blind or not?"

He chuckled softly and waved his hand in front of my face. "If you can see the moving hand, you'll blink your eyes. Or if you want, we could just do the glare thing."

"Love, Iggy responds to glares. Let's do the moving hands thing." So we walked up to them and clapped our hands in front of their faces. Both them blinked; Fang said it was because of the noise. We tried again, this time without actually clapping our hands.

Next we did Nudge; that was probably our easiest one. The one on the right was biting her lip struggling not to talk; the one on the left was staring curiously at us with a strange combination of defiance and meekness in her eyes. Iggy also said he had a 'gut feeling' about it.

Iggy recognized Gazzy too. I had a lot of trust in Iggy; inside I knew he knew the Flock just as well if not better than Fang and I did. But Fang and I saw a glint in Gazzy's eyes that the Gazzy clone didn't possess; since we had to tell him and Iggy off so many times for their 'explosives', we recognized it.

Angel sent a mind wave into our brain, one that said, _Guys__, it's me. I know because Max loves Fang. _The other Angel sent something too; hers said _Flock, you know it's me. _I doubted anybody outside of the Flock knew about Fang and me, so I went with the first one.

Gabriel and Anna were a little harder. I didn't know anything about them. But Fang got Gabriel right in thirty seconds. I asked him how he knew and he said the eyes. Our Gabriel had blue eyes, but the whitecoats' Gabriel had black eyes.

Anna looked the exact same. None of us could tell save Gabriel. Love is crazy; I had solid proof now. That's how I knew my Fang, how Iggy knew his Nudge, and how Gabriel knew his Anna. He couldn't tell us how he knew, like Iggy's and my guess was just intuition.

I suddenly realized that Iggy and Nudge cared for each other the way Fang and I did, the way Gabriel and Anna did, not as siblings but as lovers. Only problem was they were both too blind to see it, and Iggy told Fang and me that we were stubbornly stupid.

Hypocrite!

After our entire Flock was together, we went up to Jeb, and I told him, "These are my final selections."

He smiled and said to the whitecoat workers, "Send the rest away."

"You may leave now."

"You're not killing them?" I sputtered.

"No, I'm not. Max, never kill experiments; the failures will die by themselves," he explained, as if talking to a preschooler.

We went outside, Iggy and Gazzy in the back. I should have known something was wrong right then, but I was more focused on getting out.

As soon as we were a hundred yards away from the building, it blew up, flames everywhere.

* * *

**A/N: Longer, but was it better? PLEASE REVIEW and tell me! The School flashback is almost over; the next chapter will have the kids (Hunter, Brett, Alex) again. If any of you are interested, I have a fictionpress (similar to this site, but your own stories) account under the same name. **


	13. Where Did the Erasers Go?

**A/N: I know this update is super late, but I had really bad writer's block! **

**Thank you _CrimsonScarz, -Jeisa-, _and _BeautifulInsanity13_ for reviewing. I really appreciate it.**

**

* * *

**

_We went outside, Iggy and Gazzy in the back. I should have known something was wrong right then, but I was more focused on getting out. _

_As soon as we were a hundred yards away from the building, it blew up, flames everywhere._

_

* * *

_Gazzy and Iggy had put a strong bomb in it, or maybe multiple weaker ones. Shrapnel flew in the air and some landed right by our feet. Other pieces ricocheted off or embedded into our skin; thankfully our wings were tucked in and escaped unscathed. 

As soon as we were out of range of any flying metal, we unfurled our wings and flew off. Adrenaline flew through my veins like cannonballs fly out of cannons. It was the only thing keeping me in my leader mode instead of my panic mode.

Fang knew all this. I have no idea how, but he did. He came up beside me and whispered sweet nothings to me. The reassurance and support was exactly what I needed.

"Alright guys, first we're stopping to clean up your wounds." We landed on a grassy hill, and I did a quick roll call. Everybody was present.

I looked for Fang because the first-aid supplies were in his backpack. His backpack was in Iggy's hands instead of his. I couldn't see Fang.

Even though I was worried, I helped Iggy clean up everybody. I constantly glanced around for Fang. Imagine my surprise when I found him in front of me, with blood streaming from the numerous cuts on him. He had more cuts than the rest of us because he was constantly looking back to see how far away we were and whether there were any unfriendly Erasers chasing us.

He said, "You know, you could just let me clean myself."

"Fang, you look like a study in the effects of gravity on red paint. Do you seriously think I'm going to let you clean yourself up when you look like those haunted spirits in a horror flick?" He smiled a little.

"Fine, you can clean me up."

Of course, he worried too much and kept thinking I was going to cover all his wounds with adhesive bandages. I did not get to the age of fourteen without learning that a wound should not be covered unless it is wide or bleeding profusely. I also knew that you clean the wound with alcohol before you cover it with triple antibiotic.

After we cleaned up, we slept.

* * *

**FANG POV ****(next morning)**

When I woke up, I slipped out from under the blanket so as to not wake Max. Iggy was on watch. I saw Nudge twisting and turning like she was about to get up. Gazzy and Angel were still fast asleep.

But I didn't see Gabriel and Anna anywhere. I figured they might have gone off to do 'couple things' they didn't want the younger ones to see.

I walked to where Iggy was and hollered, "Iggy, we need breakfast."

"And what do you propose?" he snapped. What the devil was wrong with him?

* * *

**IGGY POV**

"Iggy, considering that you usually make us breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks, I think it wouldn't be too hard to assume that you would feed us today," Fang replied sarcastically.

"Sorry about that, I was just thinking about something and was tired and you surprised me," I backpedaled. I wasn't entirely lying. I was thinking about something, someone to be exact.

That someone was Nudge.

Sleeping with her beside me had definitely got me thinking. But she couldn't want a blind guy, could she? Argh. Stupid brain, thinks too much.

"Iggy, it's okay. Let's go eat, shall we?"

"Yeah, I really don't think we can do much cooking out here. I'm sure we have some high-calorie food we can eat."

We rummaged through his backpack until we pulled out what Fang said were strawberry Pop-tarts, my favorite kind.

Nudge and Max woke up and joined us on the patch of ground we were sitting on. Fang immediately went over to Max's side and started kissing her. How can you kiss before breakfast? But the problem was that left Nudge and me to be uncomfortable watching, or in my case, hearing, our parental figures grope each other together.

Then Gazzy called out, "Fang, Max, quit being hormonal. The rest of us would like to keep our breakfast down." Lucky boy; he can say things like that and be protected from Fang's and Max's defensiveness by his youth.

Angel then asked, "Max, where are Gabe and Anna?"

Fang answered, "Angel, I haven't seen them all morning. I figured they were off somewhere together." I grimaced at the mental images.

A few seconds later, Angel said, "I can't hear them anywhere!"

I pointed out, "Um, yeah, Angel. Neither can the rest of us." I had a feeling that's what the rest of the Flock was thinking.

Angel then said, agitatedly, "I meant in my mind."

The rest of us said, "Oh."

Nudge suddenly said, "Look here. They left a note."

* * *

**A/N: Yeah, kind of random, but necessary to original plot dealing with Brett. Do y'all want to know what happens with the kids or do you just want their reactions to the story? **

**This sounds really needy, but I am in desperate need of encouragement; the next chapter, without the high school and courting parts, will be the last unless I get at least 8 reviews requesting high school and courting by June 15th. I need to know people are interested. Please spend thirty seconds writing "HSC" (high school and courting) or "End" in a review to let me know what you want. Thanks!**


	14. Back to Arizona and the Martinezes

**I know it's been a really long time since I last updated, but I had horrendous writer's block. **

**Thank you _BeautifulInsanity13, hotlipsb, I'll have some stupid cliche, cherrychick, Breanna, -Jeisa-, Museteki, CrimsonScarz, wickedflock, Tremma, reader, Niffty One, Sammi, fangsgrl676,_ and _Myrah _for reviewing! It made my week.**

**I haven't read MR3 yet, so this is probably going to end up extremely AU. **

**The kids come back in this chapter, albeit for a short time, and I think Fang's slightly OOC. All you reviewers requested "High School and Courting" so here you go.**

* * *

_RECAP__ (IGGY)_

_Angel then asked, "Max, where are Gabe and Anna?"_

_Fang answered, "Angel, I haven't seen them all morning. I figured they were off somewhere together."_

_I grimaced at the mental images._

_A few seconds later, Angel said, "I can't hear them anywhere!"_

_I pointed out, "Um, yeah, Angel. Neither can the rest of us." I had a feeling that's what the rest of the Flock was thinking._

_Angel then said, agitatedly, "I meant in my mind."_

_The rest of us said, "Oh."_

_Nudge suddenly said, "Look here. They left a note."_

* * *

In Nudge's hands was a piece of paper upon which was written (she read it aloud): 

_Sorry Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, Angel. We had to leave for reasons we can't reveal. Please remember that your friendship and trust was and will always be valued by us. _

_Your friends,_

_Gabriel and Anna_

"Some friends they are, just leaving like that, for 'reasons they can't reveal'," I scoffed.

Max said, "Well, let's go on to the Martinezes. They told us to come back and visit."

_Max then told the kids, "And then we went to school, got married, and had you guys."_

_Alex said, "Oh, c'mon Mom. That's not cool. You gotta tell us what happens when you guys went to school."_

_My son said, "Yeah, Ria's right. I wanna know how my parents got together. I believe I have sufficient reason to assume it was not because of me." _

_I growled in defense of Nudge; how could Hunter even think about something like that? But then he did say it was _not _because of him, so maybe it was intended to rile us. They teach way too much in sex ed these days._

_Ignoring me, Alex asked her brother, "What do you think, Brett?" _

_Brett nodded his head. "Yeah. Y'all are always talking about how you nearly got suspended multiple times for PDA that the teachers caught you engaged in."_

_Fang and Max blushed. Even after being married for fifteen odd years, they still blushed when anybody, even their own kid, mentioned their relationship._

_Alex then announced, "Look, Hawk, Brett, and I all want to hear how you got through high school. It's only eight-thirty Mom, so you can't use the 'bedtime' excuse. And it's for a school project so we have a good reason to want all this information."_

_Fang reasoned, "Yes, Alex, it's for a school project. A project which entails writing a _fictitious _story."_

_Alex, sharp as ever, retorted, "Dad, nobody's going to believe this. So what's wrong with taking _inspiration_ from a real source?"_

"_Nothing besides the fact that you're trying to pass off a biography as original."_

"_So? Besides, we're not going to write it down exactly as it happened. There wouldn't be enough conflict in it that way, and it'd be too long."_

_I cocked my head and asked, "How can it not have enough conflict but still be too long?"_

_She answered, "I don't know. It just doesn't and is. Right Hawk?"_

"_Yeah," agreed Hunter. _

_Nudge finally declared, "Fine. We'll tell you the 'rest' of the story. Because you'd make us anyway."_

_The kids cheered and whooped, making much more noise than should be possible for three teenagers._

**

* * *

**

**MAX**

I said, "Well, let's go on to the Martinezes. They told us to come back and visit."

Fang began to protest, but I cut him off with one of 'those' looks. Isn't it so nice having a boyfriend who knows exactly what you're saying when you're vocalizing nothing?

Nudge started chattering away, "Oh, Max. It'll be so much fun. I just hope it's not like when we stayed at Anne's..."

"You guys done with breakfast?" Everybody shook their heads.

"Finish up, and then we need to get going if you wanna make it there before lunch. I think everybody would like a home-cooked meal, hmm?"

Gazzy and Angel vigorously nodded their heads, but I saw the gleam of eagerness in everybody else's eyes.

My Flock practically inhaled their food and was ready to go in five minutes.

* * *

**FANG**** (A few hours later)**

We flew nonstop all the way to Arizona. Angel and Gazzy were right beneath Max and me, and Nudge and Iggy were a little lower and further behind. Nudge was guiding Iggy a little but chattering to him a lot more. I felt sympathy for Iggy but immense relief that she wasn't ranting and babbling to Max or me.

Max suddenly said, "Guys, time to land." Of course, I couldn't see any distinguishing characteristics, but I trusted Max.

We landed in a copse of trees near the Martinezes' neighborhood. We pulled in our wings and went out into the sun. Max quickly scanned the area and started walking forward. The rest of us followed her.

Max pushed the doorbell, and Ella's face appeared in the left window. She opened up, let us in, and squealed. Yes, squealed.

"Max, you're back." She then squeezed Max into a hug.

"And you brought the rest of the Flock," Ella stated, as if just noticing us.

"But where are the other two?"

Max explained, "They left. We don't know where they went."

Ella nodded her head in what appeared to be understanding and acceptance, as if runaways were something common.

Nudge suddenly said, "I'm hungry."

Ella laughed and said, "Well, we do have Kraft Macaroni & Cheese."

Iggy cut in, "Excellent. Where?"

A bewildered Ella asked, "But aren't you blind?"

Before Max even opened her mouth, Nudge retorted, "But he's our best cook. Isn't he, guys?" A chorus of yeah's answered her.

Iggy said, "Nudge can help me with the instructions." Ella showed them both to the kitchen.

When she came back, I inquired, "Ella, where's your mom?"

"She's at work; she should be home in a couple of hours."

After we ate Iggy's sinful mac and cheese, we watched some cartoons on TV.

Dr. Martinez came home about two hours after we had finished eating.

She welcomed us again by saying, "You guys came back!"

* * *

**So there. Next chapter should involve high school enrollment and stuff, maybe even the first day. But next chapter comes with reviews, so please review!**

**I opened an account on fictionpress. I'd really appreciate if you checked it out. There's a link in my profile. **


	15. Important AN

**Not an update, I'm so sorry.**

**School's started for me, and I've been completely swamped with homework. Three Honors and one AP class. Yeah.**

**Just wanted to let y'all know that I haven't completely given up on this story yet, but it might be a while until the next update!**

**Thanks for staying with and supporting me!**

**I'll try to update as soon as I have the homework under control.**


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